SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team was firing on all cylinders Thursday morning and afternoon inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, forcing 16 turnovers while shooting a crisp 50 percent beyond the arc. Wofford improves to 14-8 (6-2 SoCon) with the victory, and Western Carolina falls to 6-17 (1-7 SoCon) following the loss.
 
The contest was Wofford's Education Day game, featuring over 1,000 students in the stands to cheer on the Terriers. The total attendance of 1,507 is the largest crowd of the season for Wofford.
 
"I'm really proud of our effort and execution in today's game," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "We had a great crowd. Education Day is really important to us, and I think the kids that all showed up here had a wonderful time."
 
The Terriers were in rhythm the whole game offensively, shooting at a 54.0 percent rate and an even 50 percent from three. Western Carolina was good on its efficiency, tallying marks of 36.5 percent overall and 37.5 percent from distance, but it was the Wofford defense that made the difference. The Terriers won the boards, 33-21, and recorded 10 offensive rebounds for 14 second-chance points, 10 more than WCU's four. Wofford committed only nine turnovers while forcing 16 Catamount miscues, which turned into 19 extra points and 15 via the fast break. Wofford would also record three blocks and a season-high 22 assists.
 
"We had five players in double figures, and that, of course, always helps," said Garrity. "I thought we took care of the ball really well, but I was really happy with how we assisted the ball – 22 assists to nine turnovers was just fantastic. I thought we did a good job on the glass, and of course we shot the ball at a high level today. Overall, it was a full team win."
 
Wofford's 89 points are a new high for the campaign, and they came from a balanced scoring effort with five players in double figures and two more boasting eight to finish a touch shy. Those efforts were led by Rachael Rose with 23 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 41 games and her 20-point streak to five in a row. Rose added in a team-best eight assists with five rebounds and a steal.
 
Indiya Clarke tallied 13 points with three triples, matching her career high. She added five rebounds, one of four Terriers with at least five boards. Clarke dished an assist and recorded a steal. Annabelle Schultz posted 11 points, as did Sara Deidda and Maddie Heiss. Schultz snagged five boards and dished five helpers with a team-leading two steals and a block. Heiss tacked on a pair of assists and a rebounds. Deidda's point total is a new career best for the Zagreb, Croatia, native. She buried three treys and dished a pair of assists.
 
Evangelia Paulk and Ja'Rae Smith each fell just short of double-digits with eight points apiece. Paulk recorded a team-leading nine boards with a block. Smith tallied two assists and a rebound. Vitolia Tuilave and Yinka Kruyswijk each posted two points to round out Wofford's scoring, marking all nine Terriers to play reaching the points column. Tuilave added in four boards and a block.
 
The Catamounts opened the contest with the first five points, but Wofford immediately pushed back with a Rachael Rose three and jumper before Annabelle Schultz buried a triple to push Wofford ahead with a lead it would not relinquish. The run ultimate stretched to 10, and after trading some more blows the Terriers claimed the final six points of the quarter to lead 21-11 after a frame of play.
 
The second quarter was when Wofford started to truly create its separation. Rachael Rose scored after a Sara Deidda steal, and Deidda then followed with a three after a Rose steal. Indiya Clarke and Annabelle Schultz each put home threes thereafter, concluding what had become a 17-point swing for the Terriers, who led 32-11 at the 7:53 mark. Western Carolina would put forth its best efforts to fight back, but Wofford hit another stride at the end of the quarter with the final eight points before the break, featuring a pair of threes from Clarke and Maddie Heiss. Wofford recorded 28 points in quarter two, tying its season-high for points in a single quarter. The Terriers were also a perfect 6-of-6 from three in the frame and forced nine Catamounts turnovers in the quarter, over half of its full-game total. Of Wofford's 19 points off turnovers, 15 came in quarter two. This all culminated to a 49-26 halftime lead for the Terriers.
 
The squads would battle back-and-forth out of the break as Western Carolina gave its best effort to fight back for the first half of the third quarter, but a Rachael Rose jumper followed by a trey with 3:52 remaining would spark a 10-point run to stretch the Wofford advantage to 32 points (69-37) with 1:44 to go. After trading some blows, Wofford entered the final quarter up 72-41.
 
The Catamounts would put forth 11 points in the final frame, but Wofford again won the quarter with 17 of its own. Each Catamount blow was matched seemingly in stride, including a three by Sara Deidda and then an Evangelia Paulk fast break bucket to kick start a nine-point run that also featured scores from Ja'Rae Smith and Yinka Kruyswijk before Paulk punctuated it with a trey. Another Deidda three late would serve as the final points of the contest as Wofford walked away with an 89-52 triumph on its home floor.
 
The Terriers remain home for one more contest in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium this weekend with UNCG coming to town on Saturday. Tip-off against the Spartans is set for 2:00 p.m., and the match-up will serve as Wofford's annual pink game.